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This resistance won't be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

While demonstrations against the government persist in American cities, participants are adopting the spirit of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Blending levity and political action – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a hallmark of protests in the United States in the current era, adopted by various groups.

One particular emblem has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It originated after a video of a clash between an individual in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"There's a lot at play with that small inflatable frog," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by extremist movements during a previous presidential campaign.

As the meme gained popularity on the internet, it was used to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure himself, depicting the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", became a shared phrase.

But its beginnings were not so controversial.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his creation, he explained the character came from his life with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates that we don't control symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. This shifted in early October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident followed a decision to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate at a specific location, just outside of a federal building.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer sprayed pepper spray at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for the city, known for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and the city, which contended the use of troops was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing opposition."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The order was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and personnel withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume had transformed into a significant anti-administration symbol for the left.

This symbol was spotted nationwide at No Kings protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and big international cities abroad.

This item was in high demand on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Optics

The link between the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without directly articulating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The idea of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

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